Liquid compositions containing oils and/or soluble waxes are well known for a variety of uses, such as cosmetic lotions, medicinal lotions, furniture polishes, cleansers for tile, glass, metal, etc. Some such compositions contain soaps and/or detergents to enable them to entrap air and produce a foam or lather during use. However if high levels of oil or oil/wax mixture are added to such aqueous compositions, the foam- or lather-producing properties of the compositions are substantially reduced. Therefore aqueous liquid compositions, capable of being poured from a non-pressurized container to form a foam-producing coating, have not been available with oil or oil/wax contents greater than about 4% or 5% by weight. Such low contents are not satisfactory where the purpose of the product is to apply coatings which are high in oil or oil/wax content.
Aerosol compositions containing oil and/or oil/wax ingredients and water are also well known but such compositions must be dispensed as a foam from a pressurized container and cannot be contained as a self-foaming lotion-like liquid in a non-pressurized container. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,655,480 and 3,705,855 for their disclosure of such aerosol compositions.
It is also known to provide aerosol soap and detergent compositions which dispense as a single phase gel capable of being spread over the skin as a self-foaming coating, and reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,541,581, 4,505,489 and 4,772,427 for their disclosure of such compositions.
Finally, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,944 to provide self-foaming or post foaming aqueous liquid detergent compositions which are capable of being poured from a non-pressurized container and rubbed into the hair as a post-foaming shampoo. Such compositions contain mixtures of anionic, amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants, water-soluble gum and a volatile hydrocarbon, and foaming occurs by evaporation of the latter as the composition is applied to the hair. U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,979 relates to similar post-foaming shaving gel compositions containing an aqueous soap solution and a mixture of surface active agents comprising amine oxides and alkanolamides.
While self-foaming or post-foaming compositions of the aforementioned types intended for the cleansing of wet or dry surfaces that contain no oil or small amounts thereof are capable of being poured as clear liquid solutions from a non-pressurized container, they function well for their intended purposes only at temperatures close to room temperature, 70.degree.-80.degree. F. It has not been possible heretofore to produce lotion-like post-foaming compositions of these types which are detergent-based and are used for cleansing which contain large amounts of oil or oil/wax mixture for purposes of applying oil or oil/wax coatings to the skin or other wet or dry surfaces for cosmetic, medicinal, aesthetic, protective, household, automotive or other purposes. In addition, such lotion-like post-foaming compositions show a markedly increased solubility of the volatile hydrocarbon component. This property allows the non-pressurized containers to be opened at much higher temperatures, i.e., 110.degree.-120.degree. F.